For all of our latest updates please see our dedicated COVID-19 FAQs Page, which contains all of our latest operational planning information relating to the PSA Rugby Academy, Tignes programme

As well as delivering player-specific rugby development centered around testing, reporting and developing both core rugby and physical skills, our programme uses the 9PSA Values framework to deliver a personal development experience through all aspects of the programme.  In addition, all players attending the PSA Rugby Academy Tignes in 2021 will experience our Online Education programme which will cover key areas including Sports Nutrition, Mental Wellness, Return To Rugby preparation, Injury Prevention and Concussion Awareness delivered as bilingual webinars with Q&A sessions held by the programme coaching team.  Lastly, the programme will centre on fun and friendship, with players enjoying the fantastic facilities in the Tignes resort

Our training programme will include 10 x 60 mins pitch based training sessions focussing on non-contact individual skill development, alongside a minimum of three 45 minute strength & conditioning sessions. We also include a rest day and recovery activities throughout the week making the most of the amazing adventure activities that Tignes has to offer. For more information, please see our sample programme HERE

As part of our stay with UCPA Tignes, our players will have the best possible sports hostel accommodation experience during their PSA Rugby Academy Tignes stay.

Alongside the UCPA team, our fully trained pastoral staff will be responsible for every aspect of your young player’s programme experience in Tignes, ensuring that the group not only makes the most of their rugby development experience during the day & evening, but also enjoys their leisure activity experiences when not on the pitch or in the gym.

Our fully vetted and professionally trained programme staff are responsible for the pastoral care of all those players in our care and ensure that everyone is sleeping & eating well, joining in all activities, making friends and having a great time. As well as ensuring the daily wellbeing of the overall group, our staff get assigned a group of players that they mentor, delivering twice daily  ‘9PSAVs’ meetings, where they get to develop a rapport with each individual and can speak about how they feel physically & emotionally, what their daily goals are and how they fell the programme activities have gone. During free time, our players are able to relax in specified areas of the UCPA Tignes common areas with their new friends, whilst being supervised by our staff.

The majority of our programme staff are trained First Aiders. If there should be a serious health problem involving one of our players, the player in question will be taken to hospital and we will inform his/her parents immediately. Please only provide your player with medication that needs to be taken during their stay at camp. In case of illness, we will ensure your player has access to the local medical facilities, where fully qualified medical professionals can prescribe any additional medicines deemed necessary.

NOTE – all medication (other than inhalers) will be kept securely by camp staff and made accessible to your player as per your instructions. Medication cannot be kept in shared bedrooms due to the potential safety risks involved.

Accommodation at the UCPA, Tignes is in shared rooms. All bedding, sheets, duvets & pillow plus covers are supplied, but players are welcome to bring an additional pillow or home comforts. Our Academy Staffing team will allocate rooming based on specific room sharing requests on booking and/or by age. Please contact us in advance of arrival if there is any preference that you haven’t previously stated. Please note that, as part of our COVID-19 protocols, we cannot guarantee any rooming change requests after arrival.

Players are welcome to bring electrical items at their own risk (see our booking Ts&Cs here for further details). We operate a strict & limited Mobile Phone Access policy but Wi-Fi access will be available in set social areas, allowing players to connect during their limited free time.

For any customers dropping off & picking up their players directly to the UCPA in Tignes, the players will be able to check in to their rooms from 17h00 CET on the opening Saturday (PSA staff will welcome new arrivals from 15h00) and will be checking out by 10h00 CET on the closing Saturday (PSA staff will be available to manage departures until 14h00).

All residential players will be provided with four meals per day (Continental Breakfast, Hot Buffet Lunch, Light Afternoon Snack & Hot Buffet Dinner). Each meal has many options to cater for any dietary requirements, however, should your player have any specific medical-related nutritional requirements, please contact our programme team in advance.

Non-residential players have a Hot Buffet Lunch and Afternoon Snack included within their package.

PSA Academies has partnered with Endsleigh Insurance to provide invaluable cover specifically designed for PSA Academies players. You should have received a summary of insurance cover after booking, however key benefits include:

• Cover for over 90 sports and activities are included as standard (full details are available within policy documentation).
• Cancellation and curtailment of the trip due to accident, illness or sickness.
• If taken ill or have an accident, Endsleigh will pay emergency medical bills and hospital costs that are not covered by the National Health Service.
• Additional costs incurred to repatriate, if medically necessary.
• Reasonable costs to return home if a close relative is seriously ill.
• Reimbursement if luggage is lost, stolen or accidentally damaged.
• Endsleigh will help replace passports, or visas if they are lost or stolen.
• Money stolen either from your person or while locked away, will be replaced.
• If a student accidentally injures someone or damage their property, Endsleigh will cover legal liability.
• Advice and assistance to take legal action is covered.
• Cover for unavoidable or necessary cancellation or curtailment of course before completion due to, death, bodily injury or illness.

We provide return transfers from Lyon (LYS) International Airport on both arrival and departure dates for players traveling from outside of France.

Upon arrival pass through passport control and collect your luggage before heading to the arrivals hall, where our professional & fully vetted transfer service representative will be waiting with an arrivals board with the programme name & branding clearly printed.

(Transfers for Geneva International airport can be arranged at an additional charge, please contact a member of our team for further information).

ARRIVAL TRANSFER: Please ensure all arrival at LYS are between 13:00 – 16:00hrs CET as the transfer coach will depart at 16:30hrs CET

DEPARTURE TRANSFER: Please ensure departures from LYS between 14:00 – 16:00hrs CET as the transfer coach will depart UCPA in Tignes at 9:00hrs CET

Unfortunately, arrivals outside of these times or to/from a different airport will incur an additional cost.

Many of our young players travel from all parts of France, so to make planning easier, we have included return transfers from Bourg St Maurice (BSM) train station to the UCPA venue in Tignes on both arrival and departure dates.

ARRIVAL TRANSFER: Please ensure all arrival at BSM are between 16:00 – 17:30hrs CET as the transfer coach will depart at 18:00hrs CET for Tignes

DEPARTURE TRANSFER: Please ensure departures from BSM between 14:00 – 16:00hrs CET as the transfer coach will depart UCPA in Tignes at 12:00hrs CET

(Transfer from Chambery and other local stations around Tignes can be arranged at an additional charge, please contact a member of our team for further information)

The following list will give you some useful advice on items that your player will probably need during his/her stay at the PSA Rugby Academy Tignes. Of course, this is only meant as a guide for a 1 week stay. Experience has shown it is useful to provide your player with a list of all belongings taken to camp, which will enable him/her to remember what needs to be packed at the end of the stay. Furthermore, each item should be name-tagged. This will avoid confusion around ownership of items and will make it much easier for us to identify lost property.

As part of the booking process, you automatically subscribe to our WhatsApp programme updates. All you need to do is save our French WhatsApp Business number +33 970 17 36 76 to your contacts list when we send you our welcome message. Once this number is saved, you will receive updates in the lead up to the programme starting and while your young player(s) are with us. Please note, if you do not save our number correctly, you may not receive these updates.

Feel free to reply to our updates with any questions and or comments, as these are private messages and are not part of a group.